Just like cars, you can buy a cheap or quality solar system.
Cheap cars, like cheap solar systems, are sold on price while a quality car/ system is sold on just that, it’s quality, reliability and long term ownership.
For a Solar System to be a good financial investment, it needs to be efficient, reliable and last at least 10 years, while being exposed to the weather, every day!
Unlike a car, where all the components are installed and assembled in house and there is an overall warranty, a solar system is custom-built and has multiple warranties.
There are 5 main components of a Solar System which you need to know as its the sum of these components that will define the quality of the system.
- Solar Panels – what is the brand/model, what is the Product warranty (they will all have a 25 performance warranty), do they have an Australian office?
- Inverter – find out the brand and model and do some research (eg you can buy cheap 5kW inverters over $1000 less than a quality one)
- Racking – if you are in a Cyclonic area like North Queensland area is the racking cyclone rated as if not this may void your warranty and insurance, also what is the racking warranty
- Installation – is there an Installation Guarantee, if so how long, who is the installer, are they Clean Energy Council Accredited and do they work for the company or a contractor.
- Warranty – What is the warranty on ALL components (not just the Panels/Inverter that salespeople and most ads will only mention), do they have an Australian office to support their warranty?
There is no ‘Magic Formula’ or “Secret Rebate” that can make a quality solar system cheap, it is the combination of all 5 components, so if the price is ‘cheap’ there is a good reason why!
